DRRM Course for

Public Sector Employees

MODULE 1
Learning from Past Major
Disasters
Module Objectives

Upon completion of this module, the

participants will be able to:
1. Understand the Philippine Disaster Risk
Profile;
2. Learn about the past major disasters that
hit the country; and
3. Reflect on some lessons to be gained from
the past major disasters.
 Module Objectives

I. THE PHILIPPINE
DISASTER RISK PROFILE
What is a Disaster?

Disaster is a serious disruption of the

functioning of a community or a society
involving widespread human, material,
economic or environmental losses and
impacts, which exceeds the ability of the
affected community or society to cope using
its own resources.

Reference: Section 3, RA 10121 (2010)

The Philippine Risk Profile

The Philippines is vulnerable to almost all

types of natural hazards because of its
geographic location.

Photo-credit: engwell.wikispaces.com
Pacific Ring of Fire

Area where two

major tectonic
plates (Philippine
Sea and Eurasian)
meet and is highly-
prone to
earthquakes and
volanic eruptions

Photo-credit: Philippines-private-discovery.com
Pacific Ring of Fire

Results:
• earthquakes
• tsunamis and
• around 300 volcanoes
(22 active)

Photo-credit: examiner.com, csmonitor.com

Pacific Typhoon Belt

An average of 20 typhoons (5 are destructive)

visit the country every year

Photo-credit: ucar.edu
 The Philippines: Exporter of Typhoons

Tracks of
Tropical
Cyclones in
the Western
North Pacific
Period from
1948 to
2010.
(Source: Japan
Meteorological
Agency).

Reference: Japan Meteorological Agency (n.d.) as cited by Godillano (2014)

 Climate Change

Increasing Rising Worsening

global sea occurrences
temperatures levels and impacts of
disasters
Photo-credit: onicirculation.com
 Why The Earth is Warming
Global annual average temperature and CO2 concentration continue to climb. 1880-2007

Modelling study concluded

that by the time atmospheric
concentrations of CO2 reach
560 ppm “all coral reefs will
cease to grow and start to
dissolve”
(Source: Silverman et al. 2009).

1997
Kyoto
Protocol
COP 19

Reference: Karl et al. (2009) as cited by Godillano (2014)

 Projected Impacts of Climate Change
Global temperature change (relative to pre-industrial)
0°C 1°C 2°C 3°C 4°C 5°C
Food Falling crop yields in many areas, particularly
developing regions
Possible rising yields in some high Falling yields in many
latitude regions developed regions

Water Small mountain glaciers Significant decreases in water availability

in many areas, including Mediterranean Sea level rise threatens
disappear – water supplies
threatened in several areas and Southern Africa major cities

Ecosystems
Extensive Damage to Rising number of species face extinction
Coral Reefs

Extreme
Weather Rising intensity of storms, forest fires, droughts, flooding and heat waves
Events
Risk of Abrupt and
Increasing risk of dangerous feedbacks and abrupt,
Major Irreversible
large-scale shifts in the climate system
Changes
12
Reference: “Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change” as cited in “Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy: Operationalizing the People’s Survival Fund” (2013)
Human-Induced Disasters

Photo-credits: <philstar.com>, <englishsina.com>, <cnn.com>

 II. MAJOR DISASTERS
THAT HIT THE COUNTRY
 Volcanic eruption
(Mt Pinatubo: 1991)

Photo-credit: theguardian.com
 Landslide
(Guinsaugon Landslide: 2006)

Photo-credit: nbcnews.com
 Flood
(TS“Ondoy”: 2009)

Photo-credit: typhoonondoy.org
 Typhoon
(TY “Pablo”: 2012)

Photo-credit: abs-cbnnews.com
 Monsoon Rains
(SW Monsoon in NCR: 2012)

Photo-credit: pinoyambisosyo.com
 Human-Induced Disaster
(Zamboanga Crisis: 2013)

Photo-credit: philstar.com
 Earthquake
(7.2 M EQ in Bohol: 2013)

Photo-credit: newsinfo.inquirer.net
 Storm Surge
(TY “Yolanda”: 2013)

Photo-credit: rappler.com
 Typhoon
(TY “Glenda”: 2014)

Photo-credit: OCD 4A
 Flash Floods
(TS “Mario”: 2014)

Photo-credit: newsinfo.inquirer.net
III. REFLECTIONS FROM
PAST MAJOR DISASTERS
 Death Chaos
Lost Livelihood
Poor Economy Poor Tourism
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF
DISASTERS?
Widespread Damages
Loss of Public Trust
Disrupted Operations
World Risk Index Report
2014
In 2014, the Philippines ranked as 2nd country
at risk (and 3rd as the most exposed)

Reference: http://www.worldriskreport.com/uploads/media/WorldRiskReport_2014_online.pdf
9th in 2009
6th in 2010
3 rd in 2011
3rd in 2012
3 rd in 2013
2 nd
in 2014
__ in 2015?
 Let us reflect…

• What are the conditions of vulnerability of the

affected or potentially affected population?
• What are the hazards present in your
community?
• What can be done in order to increase the
capacity of the exposed population to mitigate
the impacts of disasters?
• What were the conditions that exacerbated
the effects of the disaster (e.g. typhoon,
earthquake, etc.)?
Module Objectives

Upon completion of this module, the

participants will be able to:
1. Understand the Philippine Disaster Risk
Profile;
2. Learn about the past major disasters that
hit the country; and
3. Reflect on some lessons to be gained from
the past major disasters.
Module Objectives

THANK YOU!
Formulated under the JICA Technical Cooperation Project – JICA DRRM CEP